Downtown Portland, Then and Now: 2007-2014

Portland has really changed in the last decade or so. It’s easy to forget how quickly buildings go up and the skyline changes, and that’s why these slides (which are interactive — just drag on the arrows!) are so eye-opening. The first set of images is from 2007, and the second set was taken just eight years later.

It’s crazy to me how quickly the skyline can change. We’re seeing the same thing now, especially downtown and in some underdeveloped quadrants. Buildings go up seemingly overnight, and I can’t wait to see what the next eight years will bring to this city.

1. 3939 SW Bond Ave, Block 49, and The Matisse – Southwest Portland

2. Mirabella Portland, The Ardea, and Riva on the Park – Southwest Portland

3. Ladd Tower – Downtown

4. Cyan – Downtown

5. First & Main – Downtown

6. Twelve West – Downtown

7. 937 Condominiums – Pearl District

8. Machine Works Building and Enso Apartments – Pearl District

9. Asa Flats + Lofts, The Lovejoy, and Enso – Pearl District

10. Bud Clark Commons – Old Town Chinatown

So, if you visited Portland a decade ago, chances are the Portland you see today is wildly different, and because we’re growing so quickly, it’ll look wildly different in another decade.

Where is this growth headed? Skyward. Watch Northeast Portland (just over the Fremont Bridge) in the next few years. Ever since the New Seasons was built in that neighborhood, there has been rapid change, with more rentals coming available every month.